Yellow Card for Madeleine Witte-Vrees at 2018 CDIO Aachen

Dutch WEG team rider Madeleine Witte-Vrees received a yellow card for misconduct following an altercation at the training arena at the 2018 CDIO Aachen on Thursday 19 July 2018.

The incident happened when a steward approached Madeleine Witte-Vrees, who was working the KWPN licensed stallion Charmeur in the public training ring, and alerted her for breaking the warm up rules. A heated dispute then erupted between two FEI stewards and Madeleine's husband Nico Witte and trainer Anky van Grunsven.

The Aachen training arena is open to the public and hundreds of spectators were watching the training of the horses as well as the warm up of the dressage horses competing in the main stadium. Animal welfarist had already caused an upheaval on Facebook on Wednesday and spectators were making photos and videos of the riding. A video of Witte-Vrees on Charmeur has circulated on social media.

Madeleine Witte-Vrees commented to Horses.nl that "this will never happen again. Charmeur was very excited from the applause in the stadium. He terribly went about, but of course that is not being shown on the video. I was really scared. Next time I get off straight away and lunge him."